I Could Hang Off Of Your Shoulder Like A Fool
by Quiddative
Summary: AU. In which Ken thinks it's a great idea to set his father up with his best friend Devlin's father. Kevin/Ben
1. Dance With Me, Now Darling

**Title**: I Could Hang Off Of Your Shoulder Like A Fool  
**Summary**: AU. In which Ken thinks it's a great idea to set his father up with his best friend Devlin's father.  
**Pairing(s)**: Kevin/Ben  
**Rating**: PG-13  
**Warning(s)**: slash and dirty thoughts  
**Disclaimer**: In my world, "Ken 10" is totally canon. But unfortunately, Man of Action doesn't think it should be.

**Author's Note**: Erm, I adore kidfics. Shamelessly. There, I have an excuse for writing this monstrosity instead of going to sleep like a normal person.

The story's complete but it's been split into two parts.

---

"Hey, Dad," Ken suddenly says in the middle of breakfast. He looks way too innocent for a ten year old.

Ben braces himself. "Yeah?" he asks cautiously.

"Guys are allowed to marry other guys here, right?"

Ben blinks. It was actually the main reason he'd moved from California to Maine after the divorce, to get away from all that Prop 8 crap. "Why do you ask, kiddo?"

Ken shrugs a little too casually but Ben lets it slide, now genuinely interested in where this conversation is going. When a four year old Ken had asked him why he and Kai weren't married anymore, Ben had tried to gently explain that while Daddy and Mommy still loved each other, they weren't _in _love with each other anymore (though Ben made sure his son knew that didn't stop them from loving him any less), and it turns out--surprise!--that Daddy likes guys. Ken had only nodded understandingly as if this new found knowledge concerning his father's sexuality wasn't surprising at all before going back to playing his video game and that had been that.

"I was just wondering... why haven't you gotten married again?" Ken asks.

Ben snorts and ruffles Ken's hair affectionately. "For one thing, I haven't found anyone yet. And for another, well, you know how well me getting married worked out last time."

They share a laugh and Ben thinks that's the end of it.

He should've known that it wasn't going to be that simple.

---

When Ben goes to pick Ken up from school later on that day, Devlin, Ken's new best friend, is waiting with him.

Devlin's kinda quiet for a kid his age, but overall he's a nice boy and he and Ken get along great despite being in different grades. "Hey, guys, what's up?" Ben asks, stepping out of the RV, christened the 'Rust Bucket', Grandpa Max left him after he died.

Ken and Devlin smile innocently up at him and not for the first time does Ben wonder if his son's secretly set him up on _PUNK'D!_ or something. He looks over his shoulder to check for cameras but sees a green and black striped Camaro pull up alongside the Rust Bucket instead. He turns back to the boys, ignoring the muscle car. "Okay, what's going on?" he crosses his arms and puts on his best I'm An Authoritative Adult So You Better Listen To Me look, but then he remembers it stopped having any effect on Ken when he was eight. Damn.

"Oh, nothing much." Ken's smile grows wider. "Hey, Dad, have you met Devlin's dad yet?"

Ben quirks an eyebrow. "No, I haven't." Devlin's usually the last student to get picked up at school. Both Ben and Ken have offered Devlin a ride home multiple times, but he always declines them.

A gruff, decidedly male voice over Ben's shoulder calls out, "Hey, Dev, sorry I'm late." The sound sends pleasant shivers down Ben's spine which he desperately tries to ignore but fails miserably. Unfortunately, Ken notices and his impish smile nearly reaches his ears.

Devlin's whole face brightens up. "Dad!" He breaks out into a run, gliding past Ben, and the next thing Ben hears is a grunt followed by, "You're getting heavy, Dev."

"Sorry, Dad." But Ben can tell Devlin isn't apologetic at all. "Hey, have you met Ken's dad yet?" he suddenly asks.

"Uh, no, I don't think so."

Ken tugs at Ben's arm and whispers, "Come on!" So Ben turns around.

And he freezes.

Because, holy shit, he always suspected that Devlin's parents were hot (Devlin isn't the most sought after boy in the sixth grade for nothing) but he never expected _this_. 'This' being a tall, dark, and incredibly hot stranger whose freakishly good looks are currently doing things to Ben's libido. He's pretty much a carbon copy of Devlin (or maybe it's the other way around, but Ben never paid much attention to the logistics of biology so he doesn't think too deeply about that); long, waist-length black hair that's practically screaming for Ben to run his hands through and pale, creamy skin. The only difference between father and son is the colour of said father's eyes. Unlike Devlin's, which are a deep ocean blue, his are a rich hazel brown.

Ben briefly wonders if he has some sort of kink for brown eyes because they look almost identical to Kai's. His brain stops working, though, when Devlin's dad meets his gaze and smiles, making Ben's heart do somersaults.

Damn, he's definitely been out of the dating scene for too long.

"Kevin. Kevin Levin." says Devlin's dad, effortlessly shifting Devlin onto his left arm and holding out his right hand to shake.

And then Ben remembers how to speak. Sort of. "Uh, hi. I'm Ben. Ben Tennyson." He takes the hand offered to him and shakes it. If Kevin notices his eagerness, he ignores it. "Er, nice to meet you, Kevin." He pointedly ignores Ken's snickers. God, when did he become such a teenager?

He doesn't notice he's still holding onto Kevin's hand until the other man clears his throat. "Oh, right!" He quickly lets go and backpedals to his son's side. He makes a note to deny any and all future claims of using his own child as a meat shield. "Um, sorry about that." He tries to laugh it off and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

Kevin shrugs. "Nah, don't worry about it." His gaze shifts to Ken and his eyes soften. Ben's heart does a twist mid-somersault. "And you must be Ken Tennyson. I've heard a lot about you."

"That's 'cause I am pretty cool, huh?" Ken grins.

Devlin groans. "No, that's because you're an idiot who has too much spare time so you stick to me like glue, chasing away any normal friends I _could_ have so I've got nothing else to talk about except you."

Kevin sends Ben an amused look and Ben returns it with a grin.

"_You're_ the one who's always following me around!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Come on, Kenny," Ben interrupts, bending down to place a hand on Ken's shoulder. "We've gotta meet up with Gwen, remember?"

Ken blinks. "Aunt Gwendolyn? She's visiting today?"

"Yup."

Ken pumps a fist in the air. "Awesome!" He turns to Devlin and winks. "See ya tomorrow, Devlin!"

"Bye!"

Ben takes a deep breath before meeting Kevin's eyes again. Good, he isn't freezing up again. "Well, uh, it was nice meeting you, Kevin."

Kevin smiles again and crap, his heart may have just stopped beating altogether. "Same here."

Ben waits until the Levins have gotten into their car, the green Camaro from before, and driven off before shuffling Ken into the Rust Bucket.

"So," Ken begins, "How'd you like Mr. Levin?" Ben doesn't have to look to know his son's got what must be the biggest shit-eating smirk on his face right now.

"He seems okay." he admits. He definitely doesn't have to tell his son that by "okay" he means "illegally hot".

"He's single, you know." Ken practically sings, yawning nonchalantly. "Did you know that he's a mechanic? He's got his own garage and he fixes classic cars and stuff and it's really cool. He's even teaching Devlin how to drive!"

"He's what?"

"Well, not like, on the _road_, but in parking lots. Devlin's still not tall enough to reach the gas pedal so he just sits on his dad's lap while he steers the wheel. Man, why can't we do that?"

But Ben had stopped paying attention after "wheel" because that has to be the most adorably heart-warming mental image _ever_ and he wonders how anyone can resist a man who's willing to spend time doing adorably heart-warming things like that with his son. Then he wonders how it'll feel if _he_ was the one on Kevin's lap and--no, _no, bad Ben._ No thinking X-rated thoughts while your son's present. "That's nice." he says absentmindedly.

Ken pokes his arm. "Did I mention he's single?"

"Yes, yes you did." Ben keeps his eyes fixed on the road, determined not to dwell too deeply on this new information but it's no use because his brain's started chanting "single" over and over again like it's some kind of national anthem.

Ken leans back in his seat and smirks. "Just checking."

He clearly gets this from his mother, Ben decides.

---

Ben arrives at the school ten minutes before it lets out the next day and he nearly drives the Rust Bucket off the road when he sees that familiar green and black striped car in the school's parking lot. Sure enough, sitting on the hood is Kevin Levin. His hair's even _whipping_ in the wind, which is totally unfair. No one should be allowed to look _that hot_. Ben is debating whether he should take a picture with his camera phone before he decides no, that's just too creepy--even for him. "I don't even know anything about him." Ben mutters to himself, turning off the ignition and getting out of the car.

His brain stops functioning when Kevin turns around and smiles at him. "Hey. Ben, right?" Kevin says.

Ben resists the urge to spazz over the fact that _oh my God, he remembered my name_ and nods, walking over to his side. "Yup, and you're Kevin Levin. Nice name, by the way."

Kevin grins, "Not nearly as nice as _Ben Ten_nyson. Your parents wouldn't happen to be called Jen and Sven, too, would they?"

"Curses! You've figured out my deepest, darkest secret. And now I'll have to kill you." Ben grins back.

Kevin laughs. "I promise I won't tell a soul." He shifts over on the hood and pats on the space beside him invitingly. Ben blushes but luckily Kevin didn't seem to have noticed as he takes the spot, leaning casually against the warm metal.

They lapse into a brief, awkward silence before Ben gathers the courage to ask, "So, uh, I haven't seen you pick Devlin up before... "

Kevin rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, my schedule's pretty hectic at the auto shop but I didn't think he ever had a problem with it. But yesterday, he suddenly asked me if I could change my schedule so I could start picking him up earlier. I don't mind, though." Kevin shrugs. "I'm happy as long as he's happy." he says. There's warmth in his voice as he says it, as if he can't think of anything else better in the world than his son. Ben's heart jumps to his throat.

"Yeah." he agrees. That had been how he felt after Ken was born.

"What about you, Tennyson?" Kevin asks, tilting his head a little to the right and it's all Ben can do not to pull him in for a kiss.

"I own a comic book store on Queen's Street." Ben says. "We don't get a lot of customers during the week so I open it after I drop Ken off and close it before picking him up. I keep it open longer on the weekends, though." Kevin is staring blankly at him and Ben's stomach plummets. He tried the whole dating thing for a while after Kai but whenever he mentions the store, his dates usually go, "_Oh_" in a tone that makes him want to punch their faces in and give him judging looks. He shouldn't have expected any different from Kevin. He tries to laugh it off with "Yeah, it's kinda lame, huh?"

"No. No. It's not. Actually, that's kinda awesome." says Kevin. Ben whips his head up and stares with unabashed surprise. "I love comic books. Owning a comic book shop was actually my dream job when I was a kid. Well, that and being aNASCAR driver."

It takes a while for Ben to find his voice. And then it takes him a while to form a sentence that doesn't include "will you marry me?" in it. "I dunno about that; being aNASCAR driver is pretty boring compared to the glamorous lifestyle of a comic book geek."

"But not nearly as awesome as Bruce Wayne's, though. You've _seen_ the Batmobile, right?"

"Wayne? No way. Being Tony Stark is the way to go, man."

They sit there talking about superheroes and even _Sumo Slammers _at one point (Ben wonders if he'd died and gone to heaven without knowing it) until the school bell rings and kids begin trickling out the doors. Devlin and Ken are talking animatedly about something until Devlin catches sight of Kevin and jumps into his open arms just like the day before. The two boys say their goodbyes, promising to Skype later on in the evening before getting into their respective cars.

"Hey, uh," Ben blurts out just before Kevin can follow suit, fumbling in his pocket for the business cards Julie made for him last Christmas. "Here's my card. Er, for the store. If you're ever interested, just give me a call and I'll give you a discount." Kevin takes it with a smile, his fingers brushing against Ben's as he does so and Ben congratulates himself for not swooning over the touch.

"Thanks. See you tomorrow, Tennyson."

Ben gulps, trying to keep the smile on his face from growing too big. "Yeah, see you." Just like yesterday, he waits until Kevin's gotten into his car and watches them drive off into the street before finally getting into the Rust Bucket himself.

Ken teases Ben for the whole ride back home and only stops when Ben threatens to put the Jonas Brothers on.


	2. Play Your Hand, You Big Talkin Man

**Title**: I Could Hang Off Of Your Shoulder Like A Fool  
**Summary**: AU. In which Ken thinks it's a great idea to set his father up with his best friend Devlin's father.  
**Pairing(s)**: Kevin/Ben  
**Rating**: PG-13  
**Warning(s)**: slash and dirty thoughts  
**Disclaimer**: In my world, "Ken 10" is totally canon. But unfortunately, Man of Action doesn't think it should be.

**Author's Note**: Erm, I adore kidfics. Shamelessly. There, I have an excuse for writing this monstrosity instead of going to sleep like a normal person.

---

Kevin doesn't call.

But that's okay, because Ben hadn't expected him to and gets to see him practically every day of the week (except on weekends, dammit) anyway. By the end of the month, Ben's pretty confident he knows a fair amount about Kevin. He likes comic books, classic cars (especially his Camaro, which he'd reassembled by hand), chocolate, football, and Metallica. Tennis and chick flicks bore him and Rascal Flatts makes his ears bleed. And he absolutely loves spending time with Devlin. He's everything Kai isn't and it's refreshing.

Ben stopped trying to deny that he had a crush on Kevin after meeting him for the third time. He can recognize the signs. But there are crushes and then there are _crushes_. Like, the hard kind that makes him feel hot and cold at the same time and is generally Not Fun.

He remembers one time during sophomore year when he got a crush on a hot senior who didn't even know he existed. She was also the captain of the cheerleading team and had a brain the size of a peanut (Gwen still teases Ben about his shallow taste in girls back then, but in his defense, he had been a dumb teenager at the time). It made crushing on her easier, because he knew he didn't stand chance with her and even if he did, she wasn't exactly what he was looking for in an ideal partner (for example, someone who could hold an intelligent conversation with him about something other than _Sephora_'s latest products for more than five minutes).

His crush on Kai during freshman year of university, on the other hand, was unbearable. She was perfect--gorgeous, smart, sweet, and it was everything Ben wanted. He knew he had a chance with her, however small it was, but that only meant he had to be more careful with the things he did and said around her.

It would be so much easier, Ben thinks, if Kevin had a flaw or something, because then he won't have to worry about making a fool of himself, but apparently God decided to make an exception to the "no human is perfect" rule when he had Kevin in mind. It's. Not. Fair. At all.

On the bright side, Kevin, at least, is well aware of Ben's existence, which is always a plus. Not only that, but he doesn't laugh at Ben's geeky-ness like Kai does, which is an even better plus. There's just one problem though.

Ben isn't entirely sure whether Kevin is gay or not. That could put a major crimp in his secret plan, 'Operation: Get Devlin's Dad To Fall Madly In Love With Me'.

"You should totally ask him out." Ken tells him once they're in the Rust Bucket one day after school.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Kenny." says Ben. But that doesn't mean he doesn't _want_ to. It's just... yeah.

"Why not?" Ken challenges.

"Hey, I have an idea. Let's get some ice cream." Ben likes to think he's pretty good at subtlety.

Ken lets the subject drop but glares at him all the way to Baskin Robbins. All is forgiven, though, when Ben lets him have a banana split even though he's not supposed to have dessert before dinner. "You're a horrible parent." Ken happily declares while devouring the banana split like there's no tomorrow.

"And you're a meddling brat." Ben says fondly.

Ken flings a spoonful of whip cream at his face.

---

Ben's at the store the next time he sees Kevin. He's taking inventory when he hears that annoying little bell he'd installed on the door years ago. The shop's actually pretty small but it's hard for him to keep an eye on the door over the lines of towering shelves if he's at the back. "Coming!" he calls, putting his clipboard down and hurrying to the front. He nearly trips when he takes in his new customer.

It's none other than Kevin Levin.

Against the light shining through the doorway, he looks like a model in his delicious leather pants, tight black shirt, and navy blue hoodie . Meanwhile, Ben looks like he just stumbled out of bed despite having been awake for hours; messy uncombed hair, unshaven face, a worn out _Sumo Slammers_ shirt, and a pair of dingy sweatpants. A wormhole opening out of nowhere to swallow him into another dimension would be pretty useful right about now. "Uh, hi." he squeaks out.

"Hey." Kevin returns, with significantly more eloquence. "Um, I know you said to call, but I was actually just passing by and I thought... "

"No, no! It's fine. Really." In fact, it's better than fine. "Sooo... what can I help you with?"

Kevin rubs his neck sheepishly and dammit, how is it possible that someone can be _hot_ and _cute_ at the same time? "Well, I'm sure you know Devlin's birthday's coming up." Ben does. Devlin hadn't even bothered making an invitation for Ken as both boys knew Ken was going anyway. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't have to, but I don't really know anybody else... " He takes a deep breath. "I was wondering, would you mind helping out at the party? If you don't want to, that's totally fine."

If Kevin had asked him to rob a bank, Ben's pretty sure he would've said, "When and where?"

"I'd like that." Ben smiles.

"Really? Because I don't want you to feel pressured or anything--"

Ben waves his hand. "Nah, it's not like I've got anything better to do that day. Well, except run the shop, but I doubt it'll go under if I leave it for just one day."

Kevin is glowing. "Benjy, you are the best, you know that? You have no idea how worried I'd been. Here, let me make it up to you... " Kevin scanned the nearest bookshelf and pulled out a copy of _Essential Thor_ volume four. "... How much is this?"

"Nineteen ninety-nine." Ben rattles off automatically. "But you don't have to, really--"

Kevin pulls out a twenty and a ten, slapping them on the desk. "Here, keep the change."

Ben knows he's probably doing a pretty good impression of a goldfish. "Kevin, no! That's your money. You don't have to pay me back."

Kevin shrugs. "But I want to." Ben forgets how to breathe when Kevin gives him a wink.

---

The party is a success.

The kids play basketball on the driveway and when they get bored of that, they play _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_ and _Halo 3_ before Kevin calls them up for cake and pizza. Kevin puts on a movie for them once they're done while he and Ben clean up the kitchen.

"Thanks again... " says Kevin, "... For helping out. You don't know how much this means to me."

Ben grins. "It's no big deal. I know how crazy birthday parties can be." At that moment, a thought enters his head and he groans. "Ken keeps trying to top his birthday parties with even bigger ones every year. We went to _Laser Quest_ last year. Who knows what he'll have planned this year."

Kevin laughs. "Well, if you ever need help, you know you can come to me."

Ben's breath hitches when he sees the sincerity in Kevin's eyes. He really means it. "I'll put you on speed dial." He says solemnly.

It's well after nightfall when they've finally finished cleaning up and by then, all the kids are gone except Ken and Devlin, who are currently attempting to marathon all the _Lord of The Rings_ movie in the basement, while Ben is idly flipping through channels on the T.V. in Kevin's living room. Kevin pops in from the kitchen with two bottles of beer. "Thirsty?" he asks, holding one of the bottles up.

Ben pretends to look affronted. "Seriously? Drinking while the kids are still in the house?" Kevin cocks an eyebrow. "Pass me one." Kevin laughs and obeys.

They settle on the couch to watch the football game.

"Devlin's never really had a birthday party before." Kevin murmurs as he takes a long gulp of his beer.

"Why?"

"We used to move around a lot; never stayed in one place long enough to make friends. It used to be just him and me at a random Baskin Robbins. He never minded but... I'm glad this year is different. I always wanted him to have a normal childhood." He suddenly turns and looks at Ben with such piercing eyes that Ben nearly falls out of the couch. "Do you think I'm doing okay?" he asks, his voice so quiet and so Not Kevin-like that it breaks Ben's heart into a thousand pieces.

Ben does the only thing he can do; he tells the truth. "Of course you are. Devlin's a happy kid and he adores you."

"His mother died when he was a baby." Kevin suddenly says.

Ben knows this. It was one of the first things Ken told him after he became friends with Devlin, but he still feels like he's treading on forbidden holy ground. It's not that he isn't interested in Kevin's past, but he doesn't want to learn something he's not supposed to know. "I'm sorry." he supplies, because there's nothing else he can say.

But Kevin goes on, "We were never really serious, but by the time we broke up, she was pregnant." Kevin looks down and Ben can't see his face anymore because his hair is covering it like curtains to an attic window. "I didn't want Devlin." he said softly, "But she did, so I thought, 'okay, whatever'. The hospital called while I was at work to tell me what happened and I thought, 'fuck, what am I gonna do now?' but I went over anyway and when I saw Devlin... " Kevin looks up and Ben can see his eyes shining. "I know it's normal for parents to say this, but Devlin was honestly the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen and I realized I _wanted_ him and that I would never give him up no matter what, at least not without a fight. But I'm scared that I'm doing it wrong." he finishes in a small voice.

Ben puts down his beer and suddenly pulls Kevin into a hug which isn't exactly what he would call manly, but right now, this is what the other man needs. "Hey, listen to me. No parent is perfect. Believe me, I know. All any kid really needs is to know that they're loved and Devlin definitely knows that. You're doing a great job; I can see that and so can everyone else, so don't worry about it."

Kevin turns to Ben with a soft smile that Ben knows right then is usually reserved only for Devlin. He doesn't know what to think. "Thank you," Kevin whispers. "I'm glad Devlin met Ken and I'm glad I met you."

Ben swallows and barely manages to smile back and say, "Same here."

But a storm is brewing in his head because he realizes at that moment that his crush isn't just a crush anymore and he's fallen in love with Kevin. _Hard_.

---

It's closer to eleven when Ken comes down for breakfast the next day, but that's to be expected. They didn't get back home until half past eleven last night and then it took another hour before Ben finally got Ken to calm down enough to go to bed. Ken sits quietly in his seat while Ben makes pancakes and doesn't say anything for a while. Then, "Why can't you ask Devlin's dad out?" he blurts out accusingly, his voice hurt and confused.

It stuns Ben because up til now, he thought this was mostly a joke to Ken and he didn't actually take his own suggestion _seriously_. "Well, uh... " Ben's asked himself this question enough times and he comes up with the same arguments each time. "Devlin's dad might not like guys and even if he does, I don't know if he's interested."

But that's not good enough for Ken because he continues to glare at Ben. It's eerily silent in their tiny kitchen before a sniffle finds its way out of Ken and Ben is instantly by his side. "Hey, kiddo," he says gently, "What's wrong?"

"Devlin says... they might be moving soon." Ken says quietly. Ben's blood turns cold. "They usually move after every six months or even less... " Ken continues, "Because... Devlin says that his dad can never find anything worth staying for. We both thought that maybe... this time might be different. If we gave him a reason to stay, then-- " He trails off with a choked sob. "I want Devlin to stay." he finally says after his breathing steadies.

"Me too." Ben says quietly.

"That's why we thought... the two of you could go out." Ken admits. "So Devlin's dad would want to stay and then Devlin would get to stay."

Ben pulls his son closer to him and rocks him gently. His mind is only half there, though. The other half is spinning in space over this revelation that _Kevin might be leaving and he'll never see him again_.

---

Ken concocts a plan; even if Kevin and Devlin end up moving, the Tennysons sure as hell aren't letting them leave without a memorable goodbye.

Ben soon discovers his son's definition of a 'memorable goodbye' is a camping trip, which isn't actually a bad idea.

So, the weekend prior to the kids' last week of school, Ben drives them all up to his and Ken's favourite campsite in the Rust Bucket. He and Devlin had long given up on trying to 'rough it' outdoors after going through three tents within two months. "Hey," Kevin says while they're setting up for dinner, "Thanks again for inviting us." Dammit, Ben had hoped he'd have gotten used to Kevin's smile by now but apparently that's not to be.

He beams. "No problem. What are friends for, right?"

"Dad!" Ken calls out a few feet away. "Devlin and I wanna look around the woods for a bit. Is that okay?"

"As long as you stick with each other at all times and come back in twenty minutes. Oh, and don't you dare go into those trees without putting on some bug spray first." Ben tells him automatically.

"_Da-ad_!" But Ben knows Ken won't disobey him on the bug spray issue, especially not after their last camping trip.

"You too, Dev." Kevin calls out.

"Okay, Dad!"

The boys shoot off like rockets after putting on their bug spray, their laughs ringing through the trees like seagulls on a beach. It's then that Ben realizes that he and Kevin are alone and the thought excites and terrifies him at the same time.

Kevin lets out a satisfied sigh after he finishes setting the grill up and collapses on the ground. "I can't remember the last time I went camping." he says wistfully.

"Oh yeah?" Ben asks, trying to hide his nervousness as he settles down beside him.

Kevin nods. "I think it was with my dad. Or was it my stepfather?" Kevin's eyes darken a little as he says this but the cloud passes immediately when he turns to Ben and smiles. "So Devlin tells me you guys go camping a lot, huh?"

"Yup, every year since Ken was old enough to walk." Ben answers. He tips his head up to look at the darkened sky and sighs, "It's great. Every time we come here, I feel... at peace, as cliche as it sounds." he chuckles. "Is that weird?"

"Just a little." Kevin says, grinning. "But, no, I get what you mean. It's refreshing to get out of the city once in a while, huh?"

"I guess you would know." Ben says quietly. He hadn't meant for Kevin to hear that, but that's what ends up happening.

Kevin sits up and gives Ben a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Ken tells me that the two of you might be moving soon." Ben blurts out. _It's now or never_.

Kevin blinks before realization dawns in his eyes. "Oh, no. I mean, I'd definitely been thinking about it but I don't think we'll be moving for a long time." Kevin's lips quirks into a strange, sad smile as he says this, his eyes locked with Ben's all the while.

"No? But Devlin says you move around a lot."

"Well, that was _before_."

Ben's pretty sure that Kevin can literally _see_ the relief pouring from his body. "Before... ?"

"Before I fell in love with my son's best friend's father." Kevin says in a matter-of-fact way, but before Ben's brain can catch up, he goes on, "Even though it's probably the stupidest thing I've ever done because, come on, the guy has a kid--he's probably straighter than an arrow." He glances nervously at Ben and smiles his strange, sad smile again. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I just... I needed to get that out there." He looks so resigned that it takes Ben a minute to stop feeling sorry for him to realize that it's his turn to speak.

"Funny thing about that," he says, starting off slow. He can't really trust himself to speak properly without possibly foaming at the mouth. "The exact thing happened with me." Ben can't stop himself from chuckling when Kevin straightens his back and stares at Ben. "Yeah, Ken thought it would be a good idea for me to meet his friend's hot dad so I did and wow, was that the dumbest decision I ever made." he laughs to himself. "It would've been fine if he was just hot, but _no_, he had to be funny and perfect, too." He gives Kevin a casual shrug. "I guess we're both on the same boat, huh?"

Kevin stares at him without blinking for what Ben is sure is a full minute before he tackles him to the ground and attacks his lips with great vigor. "So," Pant. "You mean... " Kiss. "We could've been dating for months... " Kiss. "... But didn't because we were too busy acting like scared little girls?"

Ben sits up, resting his elbows on the ground. "Basically, yeah." He grins sheepishly at Kevin.

"I won't tell if you won't."

"Agreed."

They're about to go back to kissing, a pastime Ben's beginning to enjoy quite a bit, when a voice interrupts, "_Finally!_ Man, I thought we'd have to lock you two in the Rust Bucket or something." Ben swivels around to get a better look and finds Ken and Devlin standing a few feet away wearing identical smug smiles on their faces.

"Took you long enough." Devlin adds. "But can you guys do your gross adult thing later? Ken and I are starving."

Ben reluctantly pushes Kevin off. "Fine, fine. How do hot dogs sound?"

The boys give a cheer and race to the table.

Ben and Kevin share a smile before following suit. Just before sitting down to face their kids, Kevin slips his hand in Ben's and Ben decides that his life officially rocks.


End file.
